The examination hall smelled of wet wool and lamp oil. Ma stood at a table sorting candidate marks into bundles. Yan came in with his palm rewrapped and a little dust still at his cuffs.
“I hear he can use any forbidden technique without harm,” Ma said to the clerk beside him.
The clerk glanced up. “Who?”
Ma tapped a page with one finger. “The boy who crossed the plinths.”
Yan stopped. “That isn’t what happened.”
Sun, who had come in to collect her next-round slip, was already near the table. She turned before Ma could answer.
“He used one complete footwork method,” she said. “He won the course, but he scraped his hand when he caught me.” She pointed to his bandage. “That’s the proof.”
The students nearby looked at Yan’s hand. Someone at the back said, “I thought the method was banned.”
